Jul 30, 2014

Clomid Update: The Aftermath

Hi there lovelies.
I wanted to give you a quick update as to the aftermath of taking these dreaded Clomid pills.

So, I told you how after 2+ years of bangin' it out old school, our feeble attempts at baby making led me to gear up for my first clomid cycle.

Then, I started Clomid and told you how I felt during the pill-taking phase.

And now here we are, 3 dpo (days past ovulation, for you non-TTC folks).
So what's been happening?
Well, I'm not happy. Not at all.


I'm happy that I think we timed things well. We did everything we could and I had a hunch that we should start trying sooner. Folks who are scouring the internets looking for "timing sex with Clomid" and all that jazz, let me tell you....those estimates aren't rules to live by.
The articles will tell you that ovulation will happen 5-7 after your last pill.
Well, based on my chart below, it is clear that I ovulated on the 4th day after my last pill, meaning we needed to start trying 2 days after the last pill was consumed.


Here is quick legend to go along with this chart.
The "C" means Clomid, taken days 5-9
I take my temperature with a basal thermometer every morning, starting on Day 7. Doing this will confirm that ovulation happened, not that it is about to happen. This is shown by a spike in temperature of at least .3 degrees (CD13 to CD14)
The day the temp is the lowest before the spike is the day of ovulation. It is confirmed by 3 days of higher temps (CD 14,15 & 16)
Using OPK tests will determine that ovulation is happening. Once a positive OPK has been confirmed, you typically ovulate within 12-48 hours after the first positive.
In my case, I think I ovulated around the night of CD13.
My first + OPK was at 10am CD13 and got stronger that night. By 2pm CD14 it was negative, meaning the surge is over.

BD stands for "baby dancing", which in my opinion, is a ridiculous name, but like I said, it seemed like we should just start and wouldn't you know that I ovulated earlier than anticipated?

The good news is I don't really need to temp anymore, which is great because weekend temping gets tough as you have to wake up at the same time every day. For me that is 5:20am. No thank you.

So the hard part is over right? I just kick up my feet and revel in my timing skillz and wait it out?

I would if it weren't for the lovely post-ovulation side effects. That I didn't realize were a thing.

Let's talk about OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome)

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome may occur after using injectable hormone medications during in vitro fertilization (IVF), a treatment for infertility. Injectable fertility medications stimulate the development of eggs in the ovaries, but it can be difficult to tell exactly how much medication you might need.
Too much of the hormone in your system can lead to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), where your ovaries become swollen and painful. A small number of women may develop severe OHSS, which can cause rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, vomiting and shortness of breath.
Less often, OHSS happens during fertility treatments using medications you take by mouth, such as clomiphene. Occasionally OHSS occurs spontaneously, not related to fertility treatments.

Mild to moderate OHSS

With mild to moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, symptoms can include:
  • Mild to moderate abdominal pain that may come and go
  • Abdominal bloating or increased waist size
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Tenderness in the area of your ovaries
That's me....the "less often" category. Luckily, I only had/have the "mild" category symptoms. Anything worse and you should book it to the ER. Signs of severe OHSS include rapid weight gain in a matter of hours (6-10lbs), severe abdominal pain, shortness of breathe, etc. Fluid can leak from your ovaries into your chest and stomach and requires immediate medical attention.

Anyways, back to me. I have been experience abdominal and uterine bloating since the day after ovulation. To the point where it is causing stomach and back cramps. I have felt nauseous or vomited, but it honestly felt, at its worst, like I had kidney stones except they were in the front where my ovaries are.
It made it sort of difficult to move around at its peak.
And then yesterday, I had my first (and hopefully last) migraine.  I had no idea what was going on. There was this weird blinding aura in the middle of my vision, making everything shaky and blurry. This was followed by the worst piercing pain in my head and I couldn't look at lights or computer screens or people.
Did I mention this happened at work? It was awesome.

Now, I just have stomach bloat that makes me feel like I have just finished a large meal. No more sharp pains.  The silver lining to all of this is the pain confirms that ovulation did indeed happen, so I guess there's that.

And now we wait. I wait to see if Clomid lengthened my luteal phase and helped make a baby.
More in the future.

And if you made it through this post, you deserve a treat. Head on back to my last post and try to win a $25 Target gift card!  Contest ends at midnight tonight as a thank you to my July sponsors!!

11 comments:

  1. Good luck...I don't have much more than that. I know in the end all this will be worth the sacrifice. But my lady parts have sympathy pains for yours!

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  2. I'm so sorry about your post O symptoms....I am hoping this is the ONLY month you have to deal with this crap!

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  3. Good luck girl, I can't imagine going though all that - you're one tough cookie!

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  4. Holy smokes, girl! That totally stinks. But fingers crossed those little guys got to your girl and made a baby for you!!! :)

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  5. Thinking of you, girl! Hope you're feeling some better and able to get some rest!

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  6. Aww shit it's getting real up in here! Hopefully, you start to feel better soon!

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  7. You got this shit Tia...it sucks old man balls, old man sweaty balls actually (as I have done it too, so I can say that, lol) But you got this, you got this wrapped around your finger. Know you are strong and your body is doing amazing things and I promise it wont let you down, it just needs a swift kick in the ass thats all haaaa

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  8. "shortness of breathe, etc. Fluid can leak from your ovaries into your chest and stomach and requires immediate medical attention." holy crap - that's AWFUL.. Those are some serious side effects girl - I hope you don't get any more that's a those are tough to endure.. Female pains BLOW!! Man you're sooo going to use this against your kid when he/she is older: "do you realize the ovarian pain I endured to have you - go clean your room!" - jeez that's awesome blackmail material. Like my friend says: Short term pain, long term gain. Hope it all works out love! Take Care Tia -Iva

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  9. Girl you are amazing and you're going to make a great mom! Hang in there!

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  10. That OHSS shit sounds like no joke. One cycle (month of meds?) down, and now you know how to make it your bitch next month. You got this shit. Love you <3

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